Write a Letter-to-the-Editor

Writing letters-to-the-editor (LTE) is a great way to advocate for meaningful education reforms.  The letter-to-the-editor section is probably the most widely read part of the newspaper.  Policymakers even use it to gauge public opinion.

The guidelines below will show you how to write a strong LTE and get it published in the paper.  By taking a few minutes to put your thoughts to paper, you could make a big impact in helping improve Utah's education system.

Keys to a Successful Letter-to-the-Editor (LTE):

• Keep it SHORT.  Most papers won't print anything above 250 words.  Keep it under 200 words or 2 to 3 short paragraphs.
• Keep it SIMPLE.  The best LTE's make one strong point. If you find yourself covering many topics in one LTE, use your other points as starting points for separate LTE's.
• Keep it RELEVANT.  News editors like to print LTE's that relate to current events or specific articles and opinion pieces.  If you're responding to a specific article or event, be sure to submit your LTE within a few days after the article was printed or event occurred.  Include the date and headline of the article you're responding to.  If it's an opinion piece you're responding to, include the date and name of the person who wrote the opinion piece.
• Keep it ENTERTAINING. Newspapers print LTE's that are entertaining to read either because they share a powerful story, make a strong case, say something funny, or are just over-the-top.  An LTE is the perfect outlet to vent your most outrageous sentiments, so make sure it's not boring or bland.
• Not sure what to write about?  As you go through your day, think of an article, event, or person who really missed the point on something related to education.  That's the perfect starting point for writing a good LTE.
• Click here to read some sample LTE's

How to Submit a Letter-to-the-Editor (LTE):

• Use the following email addresses to send your LTE to the newspaper(s) of your choice:

• Put your LTE in the body/text of your email.  Do not send it as an attachment.
• Include your FULL NAME, ADDRESS, and DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER in the email.  (Only your name and city will be made public)
• If you plan to submit your LTE to several newspapers, send the LTE in separate emails to each newspaper.

If they decide to print your Letter-to-the-Editor (LTE)...

• Someone from the newspaper will call you to verify that you were the one who submitted the LTE.
• They will usually ask you to describe what your LTE was about.  You don't need to remember every detail, just the general topic.

Other Points to Remember:

• If you are responding to a letter or article in a specific paper, you should submit your letter to that paper. If you are responding to an event covered in all the papers, you can submit the same letter to all the papers.
• It’s entirely appropriate for the same person to send the same letter to different papers.
• Newspapers will only print one LTE from the same author a month.
• If the newspaper hasn't printed your LTE, you can continue to submit it over and over again.
• If you are using Word to draft a letter and want to know how long your piece is, simply click Tools and then Word Count.
• If your thoughts can't be condensed to 250 words or shorter, you might consider writing an Op-Ed, which is more like a column than an LTE. Op-Ed's go through a different submission process than LTE's.  Contact us to let us know if you'd like to submit an Op-Ed.
• Be strong, but not shrill in your tone.
• Letters may be edited by the newspaper for clarity, length, taste and libel.
• NO poetry, and NO “open letters,” and NO form letters written by someone else.

If you need help with your Letter-to-the-Editor (LTE)...

Please contact us by email or phone.

info AT ChoiceInEducation DOT org

(801) 532-1448

Sample Letters-to-the-Editor (LTE's):
These LTE's were printed

SAMPLE 1

District obstructionism

Nicholas M. Bielaczyc's letter really hit home ("Invest in teachers," Forum, Jan. 4). The school districts cry that they need math teachers, but they are unwilling to help satisfy that need.

I have been a substitute teacher for the past three years in the Jordan School District. Last year, I was a long-term substitute teacher, teaching six math classes for four months at a middle school. I am a certified secondary education teacher in political science and theater, but there is not a need in those areas, so I decided to go back to school to get a math endorsement.

An existing program specifically for teachers seeking this endorsement requires a school district to sponsor you, but would the Jordan School District sponsor me? No way! Why? Because I am not a full-time employee. I had made my own arrangements with the program director and was going to pay my own tuition. I went all the way to the top of the district but the answer was still no, I'm not a full-time employee.

The problem isn't the lack of willing teachers or programs, it is that districts don't make those programs work.

Julie Warburton
Taylorsville

SAMPLE 2

Mall funding is a concern

The article (Jan. 16) about the plans for the Cottonwood Mall makes me concerned — not about the plans but for the financing. The article states that Granite School District "pledged nearly $53 million" to support the project.

The schools continually cry they need more monies for class size reduction, teacher pay increases, etc. But they have enough money to support a "private" enterprise? Public money raised through our payment of taxes should not be used for private enterprise. The eight-member taxing committee better be paying attention to the taxpayers regarding this matter.

Jay Atkinson
West Valley City

SAMPLE 3

System needs a shock

I don't know that school vouchers are the answer to the woes of public education, but the system needs a shock.

My son attended a Granite District high school last year and one day announced that a teacher told him he was a "loser." Initially, I thought he exaggerated, but his friends confirmed the story.

I confronted the school administration and was told that the teacher "had a bad mouth." I asked why this person was allowed to teach and was informed that since the teacher had tenure, not much could be done.

In a country that has seen steady declines in union membership, the teachers' union has grown significantly and our children are the unfortunate recipients of its outdated practices. Compare the salaries of your children's teachers to those of employees of the National Education Association and you will be shocked.

It's time to shock this outdated system by leveling the playing field with school vouchers.

Robert Richards
Salt Lake City

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